Protest at Eraring Power Station

Media Release

Over a hundred people have gathered today at Australia's equal largest
coal-fired power station, Eraring Power Station in Lake Macquarie, to
protest the failure of the Federal Government to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.

The protest is organised by Rising Tide Newcastle and marks the beginning
of a week-long vigil camp in the lead up to the UN climate talks in Poland
in December.

Rising Tide spokesperson, Georgina Woods said, "There is no more time to
waste. If we want to save the Great Barrier Reef and so many more
irreplaceable icons and vulnerable human communities, we must start
reducing our emissions now."

Eraring is equal biggest coal fired power station in the country and is
responsible for more than 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions
every year.

The protestors are calling on the Federal Government to commit that
Australia's greenhouse pollution will peak in 2010 - before the next
Federal election.

"Australia's greenhouse emissions are still rising: why are we waiting
another four years to start acting to bring them down?"

Already this month, over seventy people have taken part in non-violent
direct action protests against coal-fired power in Australia, targeting
power stations in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland.

"The protest is an expression of growing frustration in the community that
the Federal Government is not taking the last chance we have to
effectively and swiftly reduce greenhouse pollution. If we don't do it
now, we condemn the Reef to death, we condemn our Pacific Island
neighbours to homelessness and our own children to a uncertain and
dangerous future."